


No one told you life was gonna be this way

by polariiis



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friends AU, Friendship, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Just some adults hanging out in the coffee shop, Romance, Sasha and Eren are cousins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polariiis/pseuds/polariiis
Summary: Six friends grapple as they try to survive adulthood in wild, bustling New York City, forming a second family in their small group along the way.Or, the Friends AU no one really asked for.
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Will add along the way coz i dont want to spoil
Comments: 39
Kudos: 87





	1. The One With the New Roommate

**Author's Note:**

> Mature for some swearing.
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters are all owned by Hajime Isayama. Storylines are similar to the "Friends" show; I hope Kauffman and Crane don't mind.

Sasha barged through the coffee shop, hair disheveled, zipping her way to the soft, orange couch and into the banana muffin sitting prettily in the coffee table. Until Connie snatched it away from her.

“Woah, careful, this is their last muffin.”

“Aw, come on, Connie, I haven’t eaten since lunch!” Sasha huffs, plopping herself next to Armin who glances at her, tearing his eyes away from reading a journal on the latest archaeological discoveries. “Hey, Sash! Man, you look like you ran from the restaurant all the way here.”

“Oh God, today was such a busy day, I even forgot to eat! Me! Forgetting to eat! The other chef, Mina, was on sick leave, Shadis was driving me mad, and patrons never stopped pouring in today!”

“You’re a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant, what do you really expect? You should have stayed a bit to eat, you know,” Jean, who was sitting cross-legged on a chair flipping through a magazine, replied.

“I had to get out of there as soon as my shift ended, Shadis just might ask me to work overtime. I was exhausted to the bone I feel like dropping dead!” Sasha glances once more at the muffin and at Connie, who finally relented and gave her half. No, more like a quarter.

It was already dark outside when Eren entered the coffee shop, walking slowly as if in a daze. “Hi,” Eren addressed his friends lounging in the sought-after area in the coffee shop, looking like he’s about to cry.

Sasha turned her head to face him. “Oh, hey,” she stood up and hugged him.

“You know, when I look at you, I get reminded of my problems again,” Connie commented.

Sasha led Eren to sit in the couch between her and Armin. “Give him a break, he just finished moving out of Historia’s place today.”

“Shit man, sorry. We’ll help you move into your new apartment,” Jean tells Eren. “Although—” he said, holding back a laugh, “—you never really knew she was a lesbian?”

Eren's face quickly shifted from a teary-eyed puppy to a raging titan. “Shut up, horseface. I already told you, she never realized it until I introduced Ymir to her at our high school alumni party,” Eren said, looking down at his hands. “Sometimes I want to strangle her but she makes Historia really happy.”

“Well, at least you’re not married yet. Imagine getting divorced at 27!” Connie said, laughing as he throws his head back, clearly an attempt to lighten the mood. They just glared at him. “You know what, yes, we’ll just help you with your new apartment.”

“You sure you don’t want to stay with me in my apartment?” Sasha turned to Eren while rubbing his arm in a half-hug. It might not be a good idea to leave her cousin alone right now. She imagines it must be really hard for Eren ending his relationship with his first girlfriend ever.

“Yeah, Eren, I think it’s better for you to stay with Sasha in the meantime,” Armin looks at him with worried eyes.

“No, I’m fine, really. I am actually happy for them, you know, after everything that’s happened. I think I kind of saw it coming months ago,” Eren breathes deeply. “I just need a bit of time alone.” Yes, what he said is all true. The past months since their break-up, Eren realized that Historia becoming distant to him coincided with her frequent visits to Ymir. No, Jean was wrong. He was just in denial.

“Good, because I already offered the room to someone else.”

Everyone threw a look at Sasha. “What? Am I really that hard to live with that you guys thought I won’t get a roommate?”

“No, not that. I thought you didn’t want to live with someone else?” Armin asked.

Sasha sips her coffee. “Yeah, well, this is sort of an exception. Remember my best friend Mikasa from high school?” She eyes Armin and Eren.

The blond's eyes grew, now officially abandoning his journal. “Mikasa? As in _our_ Mikasa Ackerman? Is she here in New York? Why didn’t she tell me? Also, she was our best friend first before she was yours.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Not yet, but she’s coming back. She doesn’t have a Facebook account, and she reached me through email. I mean, who uses email as her primary means of contacting old friends? And she was so formal, too! ‘ _Hi Sasha, I hope this email finds you well_.’” she said, all while demonstrating her best imitation of Mikasa’s gentle but deep voice.

Eren couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Mikasa? Back here? Wow, it’s been nine years since he last saw her. He never thought she will see her again. Hell, he can’t even remember the last time he talked to her. Everyone just kind of lost touch with her.

Suddenly, his brain conjured the face he probably would forever remember—her almond-shaped dark gray eyes, pointed nose, pink lips, her raven hair falling past her shoulders. After all these years, Eren still remembers how beautiful she was.

He also remembered that sinking feeling in his stomach when Mikasa told him one starry night in the park that she will be leaving for Japan permanently to live with her aunt, and will be finishing her last year in high school there. 

“…so yes, she’ll be living with me in the meantime,” Sasha finishes.

Jean throws a crumpled piece of paper to Eren. “Hey, your mouth is open. I didn’t think you’d look even more stupid,” he cackled. Eren is pulled out of his reverie, and Armin was eyeing him warily. Of course he also remembers. He used to force Eren to confess his feelings to Mikasa, but Eren thought against it, deciding that it will just be for naught since they won’t see each other again. Ever.

How wrong he was.

Suddenly, a short man smacked Connie in the back of his head. “Oi, hairless brat, I told you to dust off your shoes before entering the shop.” Okay, they did not realize that Levi, the owner of the coffee shop, was hovering, listening to their conversation.

“Levi, your coffee shop will still be the most immaculate in all of Manhattan, even with my dusty shoes,” Connie said before standing up and going outside to, yes, dust his shoes off as thoroughly as he can manage.

Before Levi can retort, Sasha butt in with pleading eyes. “Sorry, Levi! Please don’t take away our couch privileges.” As much as Levi hated to admit, he has grown fond of these young adults always hanging out in his coffee shop. It just made the place a bit livelier. He reserved the couch, side table and armchair every after office hours when he knows the kids will come. They have sort of become a permanent fixture there, too.

“Tch,” was all he said before going back to the counter to serve other customers. Levi could get really grumpy and intimidating, glaring at customers when he’s not in the mood—which appears to be every fucking day. Even Eren, Jean and Connie, who are taller than Levi, are scared of him, making sure that they enter the shop without leaving muddy footprints. Sometimes, they wonder how he still manages to get customers. “Maybe it’s because it’s so clean,” Armin once theorized.

“Okay, I have to go now. I need to at least make the other room decent before Mikasa arrives,” Sasha said, hugging Eren and Armin before leaving. Connie and Jean, who lived across the hall from Sasha, soon followed, leaving Armin and Eren behind. Eren was still speechless, still thinking about his first - _cringe_ \- love.

“Hey, you okay?” Armin asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Look, I already moved on from Mikasa.”

Armin flashed his _look-I-know-everything_ smile. “I was actually thinking about your break-up with Historia, but yeah, that, too. God knows how long you weren't able to move on from _that_.”

This sneaky little shit. “I told you, I’m okay.” To be really honest, he doesn’t know how he feels, or what to feel, with the deluge of information today. He needs time to process them. Maybe a week will do.

“Okay then. I also need to go now. We have this big event at the museum tomorrow, lots of scientists will be visiting.” Before standing up, Armin turned to Eren. “If you need someone to talk to, you know that we’re here for you, okay?”

Eren nodded. Turns out, he won’t get a week to process things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this is my very first fic EVER! I never thought I’d be writing one, but here we are. Apologies for any errors, I will be editing/correcting them along the way. I’m still finding my style, and I hope I get to do that with this one.
> 
> Second, I LOVE Friends. It got me through some of the toughest times of my life. So when I decided that I’m going to write a fic, it had to be about the SNK gang, and in a Friends AU— a story about friendship, romance, and funny things in between. Totally no titans. The characters might be a bit OOC, but then I think they will be if they lived in another lifetime and AU. I hope you don't mind.
> 
> And given my newbie status, I opted to just adopt some of the storylines of Friends (I get shocked at how similar they sometimes are haha), since I admittedly need a sort of framework and for me not to struggle so much. On one hand, this fic takes a bit more serious tone, since I’m not witty unlike the Friends writers who are totally on another level, and effective jokes are 50% wit and 50% delivery.
> 
> Lastly, I will have to see whether I’ll continue this in the long run, depending on your feedback and my time, with school and work and all.
> 
> So yeah, hope you can leave your thoughts here, and maybe you have an idea what to call Levi’s coffee shop because I’ve been racking my brains to no avail :D


	2. The One Where Eren is Speechless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's usual confidence falters. Jean has a new ad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature for some swearing.
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters are all owned by Hajime Isayama. Storylines are similar to the "Friends" sitcom; I hope Kauffman and Crane don't mind.

It’s been three days since Eren found out that Mikasa’s coming back. He was so distracted in his clinic that Nifa, the nurse-slash-secretary, had to cut down the patients coming in. He realized that the more he made an effort to avoid thoughts of her, the more he couldn’t take her out of his mind. In the end, he decided to just let his mind wander where it wants to.

“When’s she arriving? Next month?” he whispered to Armin as he sat down with him in Sasha’s table. Jean, Connie and Sasha are sitting on the couch, waiting in front of the television for Jean’s new advertisement to come up on NBC.

Armin hungrily munches on Sasha’s nachos and homemade salsa and cheese dip. _Damn, we’re so lucky to have a friend who cooks well,_ Armin thinks distractedly, before answering Eren. “Why are you whispering?”

Eren rolled his eyes. He sure as hell won’t give in to the blonde’s bait. Armin sighs.

“Look, I’m not really sure. I don’t think Sasha mentioned it to us. You want me to ask her?” Eren shook his head, now helping himself to some nachos, too.

“Oh, oh, here it is!” Jean howls excitedly. They all gather in the living room area, as the ad aired.

 _A sombre music played, and Jean in office clothes was shown walking slowly on a sidewalk. He had dark circles under his eyes. He passed by a mattress store, and a short, overweight, half-bald man with a thick beard greeted him. ‘Sleepless nights? Wanna relax and try out our mattresses?’ Jean’s face lighted up, and he sat on the bed near the entrance. His face became contorted, shifting from shock, delight, and then, pleasure._ (“Wow, the emotional range!” Connie said, leaving Jean wondering if he was sarcastic. Who knows.) _He let out a moan and suddenly dropped and fell asleep on the bed. The bald man turns to the camera, ‘Our mattresses are so good you’ll want to sleep in it all day.’ Then a white text flashed on the screen: ‘Titan Mattresses, Spring Sale, 50% Off’’ On the background, Jean was being dragged away by security guards while still fast asleep._

Everyone in the room clapped after. “Awesome, huh?” Jean looked around his friends with a smug face.

“Wow Jean, this is your first big ad! You know what, I think I will buy that mattress,” Sasha hugs him. The others made noises of assent, and Connie slapped him on the back.

“I know! I’ve been waiting for this for so long. Agents will discover me through this ad and I will soon land on big projects and star in a Marvel movie with Chris Hemsworth or Chris Evans. Hey, maybe by then I could even change my name to Chris!” Jean looked up dreamily.

“In all fairness, Jean, that was pretty good. A level-up from that old poster of yours promoting that shampoo for horses that were posted all over the city,” Eren guffawed.

“First of all, it's _Mane 'N Tail_ and can also be used by humans, you bastard. Second, I’m a struggling actor here! You will never let me live it down, won’t you? ”

“Nope, not even when you’re already a big star, and I’ll leak the raw photos to the paparazzi.”

Jean stood up, ready to whack Eren. “Why you-“

They heard three knocks on Sasha’s door.

Jean turns his back on Eren. “Is that the pizza? I’ll get that.”

He looked through the peephole, and profusely blushed before turning to face his friends.

“Hey Sash, a gorgeous girl is standing outside your door.”

“Huh?” was all Sasha could say.

Jean clears his throat and opens the door.

“Hey,” he flashed a half-cocked smile and wiggled his right eyebrow. “How you doin’?”

“Hi. Does Sasha Blouse live here?” a girl with a very familiar voice asked. Eren felt frozen in the armchair. Yes, very familiar.

“Mikasa?” Sasha ran screaming towards the door and pushed Jean to the side (“Ouch!”), pulling the girl into a tight hug. “Oh my God, Mikasa! Why didn’t you tell me you were arriving today? I could have picked you up in the airport!”

Mikasa laughs and hugs Sasha back. “Yeah, I forgot to get your number, and you don’t really respond to email quickly. I was praying on the way here that you were here, and you are!”

Sasha pulled back and runs a finger through Mikasa’s hair. “Oh my god, your hair looks good on you! You’re so beautiful! I can’t believe this—” Sasha waves her hand at Mikasa’s body, “--you look like a model or something!”

Armin cleared his throat. “Mind if I also get a hug?”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “Armin! Oh my--“ she threw a look at Sasha and hugged Armin, planting a kiss on his cheek. “--I didn’t know you’d be here in New York! I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too. I wish you also reached out to me, I could have also offered to let you live with me, you know,” Armin said, and lets her go. “Come inside,” he pulled Mikasa’s luggage and closed the door.

“You have such a nice place, Sash. I thought flats in Manhattan are pretty cramped,” Mikasa said, looking around and sitting on the couch.

Sasha laughed. “You bet. Auntie Hanji owns this place, but she moved to Boston so now I get to live here. Oh, I’ll introduce you to—"

“Hi, I’m Jean, you’re very pretty. Connie and I live across the hall if you need anything,” the guy who opened the door earlier reaches out his hand. Mikasa shakes it and smiles at Jean, mumbling her thanks.

Connie waves from the armchair. “I’m Connie. You’ll be seeing more of us from now on, neighbor.”

Sasha offered a glass of water for Mikasa. “Connie went to college with Eren,” she looks around. “Hey, where’s Eren?”

“He’s here?” Now Mikasa is struggling to hide her surprise.

The bathroom door opened and Eren slowly went out looking flustered. Everyone from the couch turned to face him.

“Hey, did you even wash your hands?” Jean smirked. Eren glared at him. _Great timing, Jean. Of all fucking days to embarrass me. I swear I won’t bring up the horse shampoo again if you just fucking let me live today._

Mikasa abruptly stands up and walks toward him. “Hey.”

Eren opened his mouth but no words came out. He found himself tongue tied as he practically scanned her face. _Fuck. This is definitely not how I envisioned this day._ She cut her hair to a pixie style which framed her face, and God, she’s even more gorgeous now, with her matured body and facial features. _Ari’s right,_ _God is a woman and her name is Mikasa Ackerman,_ he thought.

Suddenly, she was on tiptoe and had her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him. Tight. His heart was racing like mad, he thought he was going to faint. He could see Armin making a face that seemed to tell ‘Idiot, maybe talk like a normal person?’ He opted to just hug her back.

“You’re way taller now,” she whispers, and Eren could feel that she was smiling. “I didn’t know you would be here. You and Armin.” She pulled back and he yearned at the loss of her touch. _No, no, please, hug me again_.

Eren’s voice hitched. “Y-yeah. We sort of, uh, hang out here everyday.”

“Really?”

“Jesus, yes, it’s exhausting cooking for them sometimes. They even have keys to my apartment. Well, _our_ apartment now. Just a heads-up, they don’t really knock,” Sasha responded instead, dragging Mikasa away from Eren. “Come, I’ll show you to your room, hope this is clean enough to pass your standards...”

Armin gave Eren a pat on the back when the girls were out of earshot. “Why did you run away to the bathroom?”

“I had an upset stomach,” Eren lied as the boys sat in the living room again. Actually, it’s partly true. When he realized that it was Mikasa outside, he felt the nachos and salsa coming back up to his mouth because of anxiety. He had to hide, or else he will be making a fool out of himself. Well, he still embarrassed himself. He was so not ready for this.

“Please, you were so tense that you bolted to the bathroom like lightning,” Connie said.

“Shut up.”

“Yeah, you weren’t speaking at all. What’s up with that? You like her? I thought you were into blondes,” Jean says as he tunes in to the show airing on the TV.

Eren blushed. “Of course not. She’s just our childhood friend.”

Connie glanced at him while watching TV. “In case you’re wondering, Captain Obvious, you’re red as a tomato. You might want to tone that down a bit.”

“Pizza’s here, guys!” Armin called, and laid the boxes on the table. Sasha was there in a blink of an eye, grabbing a slice.

Mikasa cleared her throat from outside her door. “Um, is it okay if I turn in early? It was pretty exhausting sitting for 14 hours.”

The others responded with nods and “Sure!” and “We’ll get you five cups of coffee for your jet lag,” from Connie.

“It was great seeing you all,” she waves, and she catches Eren’s bright green eyes, before closing her door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa, thank you to those who left kudos and comments in the first chapter! I sooooo appreciate you all! I promise to get back to you today. :3
> 
> I'll do my best to continue this, and probably write longer chapters soon (still struggling, sorry haha). I've also been thinking of storylines that I will include for this fic because obviously I can't write all 200 or so episodes, and I'm thinking of ways to incorporate it with our favorite gang.
> 
> Also, Hanji, Sasha and Eren could really pass off as relatives. Let me know what you think!!!


	3. The One with the Furniture Fiasco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys gather at Eren's place to assemble his new wardrobe. Armin is unhappy, and Eren opens up to the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature for some swearing.
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters are all owned by Hajime Isayama. Storylines are similar to the "Friends" show; I hope Kauffman and Crane don't mind.

“This is war.”

Armin means business. He is ready to plunge into deep concentration— his long, blonde hair tied half-up, his brows furrowed and the tip of his tongue in between his lips as he arranges the screws, panels, and hinges of Eren’s newly-bought, soon-to-be-upright-and-functional wardrobe. He reads the small booklet with the instructions one more time, checking if the hardware is complete, then sets aside the screwdrivers, drill, and hammer.

“And now we’re halfway done,” Connie sniggers, prompting an angry look from the blonde.

“Why do we need a hammer?” Jean asks.

“Not sure, but just in case,” Armin promptly answers. The three men begin working, laying the back panel on the floor and attaching the bottom shelf with the slide doors.

A few minutes into work, Connie wipes the sweat building up on his forehead. “Oi, Eren, aren’t you going to help? This is your wardrobe, just in case you forgot.”

Eren glances at them with a blank face from his seat by the window. Ever since he finished unpacking the kitchenware and groceries, he’s been staring outside for the past half an hour.

“I don’t understand this part,” Armin points at an illustration in the booklet, now sounding annoyed. “How the hell are you going to attach this panel to this one? And how is this black screw different from the silver one? And what’s this L-shaped shit? This is not in the instructions!”

Feeling that Armin is already getting riled up, Eren finally approaches them. Nobody wants an angry Armin. For a gentle genius like him, he does not have the patience (and the aptitude, but the blonde refuses to admit so) for assembling furniture, more so a cabinet which is possibly the most complicated furniture ever.

* * *

Sasha stirs in her bed, consciousness slowly creeping up on her with the loud clanging of metal pans and things scraping from her kitchen. Groaning, she slightly opens her left eye to get a look at the clock by her bedside. _Fuck, it’s just ten in the morning. It’s a weekend for fuck’s sake, Connie!_ She’s cursing the baldheaded boy in the back of her head for even trying to cook something this early. The sounds eventually become muffled, letting her drift off to sleep once again.

In what she felt like five minutes later, Sasha becomes suddenly aware of a smell of something burning. Her eyes fly wide open, and in a panic, she runs outside her room, not sparing curses for Connie.

Mikasa turns from the kitchen, finding Sasha standing like a zombie and clearly unhappy. “Shit, did I wake you? I’m sorry, I was struggling here with the pancakes. I couldn’t flip it properly and a few seconds later, it was burning.” Her eyes look downcast at the nearly toasted pancakes.

Sasha manages to compose herself immediately when she realized that it was actually Mikasa who disturbed her slumber and almost gave her a heart attack. _No need to be mean, it’s her first kitchen offense,_ she thinks as she sits on the table yawning and tying her hair into a ponytail. “It’s fine. I thought it was Connie again. He almost burned my kitchen once.”

She moves to the kitchen counter and pours herself some coffee. “I think your fire was too high. Pancakes easily get burnt so it should be low fire.” She sips her cup, thinking for a moment that the coffee’s pretty decent for Mikasa. “How about you leave the cooking to me and you do the cleaning? Deal?”

Cooking for Mikasa is what assembling furniture is for Armin—their Achilles’ heel. It is not an overstatement to say that the half-Japanese, half-German girl is perfect—she is gorgeous, intelligent, incredibly strong, kind.

But she is definitely not a cook. No, _keep her out of the kitchen_. And the thing is, she tries her damnedest to improve to no avail, and it just makes it worse for everyone.

Mikasa visibly relaxes upon hearing Sasha’s words, the tension from her shoulders leaving as she gives a smile. “Okay. I’ll do the cleaning, then.” Another thing about her— she is a clean freak.

* * *

The guys are all sprawled in Eren’s living room floor an hour later, and the cabinet is nowhere near complete.

“Argh! This is madness! I give up,” Armin flails his arms, trying to control his frustration.

“For a doctor, you are such a cheapskate! You could have asked the furniture store to assemble it for you,” Jean complains to Eren.

“Hey! I don’t want to shell out fifty or so bucks for something we can do!” Eren snaps back.

Connie waves his arm to the thing that was supposed to be a wardrobe. “Oh look, we are so nearly done.”

Eren sighed, agreeing deep inside that this is hopeless. “Fine. I’ll call the furniture store later.”

Connie’s narrowed eyes are on to Eren. “You’ve been in a bad mood since Thursday. And we didn’t see you yesterday. Are you still upset about living on your own? Still depressed about Historia?”

“I was just busy yesterday. Lots of patients in the clinic. It’s the flu season.”

Jean stands up to pour cold water in glasses, then handing it out to the others. “You know what, you should go out. Maybe we can go to a bar or something. Hold on, when was the last time you had sex?”

 _Where did that come from?_ Eren thought. The boys waited in anticipation for his answer. He wanted to invoke his right to remain silent because he knows he’ll embarrass himself yet again (God knows the humiliation he’s gone through this week) but before he could stop himself, he muttered: “Ten months, I think.”

Armin and Connie gasped. “What the fuck, man? You’ve been single for five months only!”

Jean was counting with his fingers before realization hit him. “Are you telling us you were with Historia for five months without having sex? Kudos, man, I could never last that long. Even a week without sex is just unbearable.”

“I told you, she’s been visiting Ymir! And I did try to save our relationship, it’s not as if I wasn’t trying!” And it’s not as if Eren wanted to be in that situation. Of course he also wanted to end the goddamn dry spell.

Jean rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming. “Okay, this is worse that I anticipated. No wonder your mood has been so foul. When was the last time you went on a date?”

Eren ponders on this. “I, uh, I’m not sure.” He needs to get out of this before Jean sets him up again. It was a disaster the last time he went with him on a double date, as the blonde girl he was set up with was practically spitting on him as she spoke. And she was a few feet away from him! He would have been impressed at the trajectory if he wasn’t on the receiving end of the spits. “But I guess I’ll pass on that. I’m not really interested in women right now.”

“How about men?” Connie asks, tipping the glass of water to his direction.

Okay, that was not what he had in mind. “I’m straight, idiot.”

With his sour mood slowly evaporating, Armin decides to speak up as Connie and Jean gangs up on Eren. “Guys, stop it. Eren’s hung up on someone else.”

 _What the fuck, Ar?_ Eren wanted to kick his childhood friend in the shin.

Jean puts his hand over his mouth in shock, and Connie’s eyes were wide open. “Wait a minute, is it Mikasa? Is she the reason why you haven’t visited us in the coffee shop? Are you avoiding her?”

Eren attempts to hide his reddening face by returning the wardrobe materials into the box. “Look, I’m not avoiding her. I just don’t know what to say to her.”

“Stop lying to us, Eren. You aren’t exactly hard to read,” Armin said as he gulps his water.

Eren raises his arms in frustration before turning to Armin, ready to speak out the things that have been bothering him the past few days. “Fine. I honestly don’t know what I feel. When she left, she gave us just a month to say goodbye, and when she arrived in Japan, she never reached out to us anymore. We’re her friends! And I thought I have completely forgotten about her—” his clenched fists slamming on to the dining table “—but she bulldozes her way back into our lives and disrupting everything!” A few seconds of silence washes over them, as Eren catches his breath.

“Hey man, that’s a lot of pent up feelings there. Calm down,” Jean pats Eren’s back as the latter sits on the chair, trying to find balance from the surge of emotions he just unleashed.

“But when I saw her, heard her voice, I never realized that I missed her so much. I thought that I will never see her again. I can’t take her out of my mind even when I’m at work,” Eren sighed dejectedly. “I need to stop these crazy thoughts.”

“Dude, sorry, but I think this tension is all one-sided. She seems fine with us, and she’s been asking about you yesterday,” Jean says.

“Also, you speak as if she is your ex-girlfriend,” Connie adds.

“She isn’t.”

“And that’s his biggest regret,” Armin fills in, and then looks at Eren straight in the eye. “Eren, I think you just need to talk to her. Ask for an explanation or something if that’s what you need. She’s our friend, and for sure she’ll be with us for a long time, so don’t let these thoughts keep you from enjoying her company.” Armin paused, waiting for Eren’s response that is clearly not coming. “And maybe if you let out some things to her, your frustrations will go away and you’ll be able to act natural around her.”

* * *

“Wow Sash, your house is freaking clean!”

Sasha and Mikasa are seated in the couch with their feet up watching a movie on the TV, and they turn to see the guys’ stunned faces. They scanned the dish-free sink and spotless living room (Armin drags his index finger in the dining table to find it free of the usual pizza and bread crumbs), the throw pillows in the couch perky like brand new, the kitchen cupboard arranged neatly and sorted in order of importance.

“Shut up, Connie, don’t be so surprised,” Sasha turns back her attention to the TV.

“This is clearly the Ackerman style of cleaning,” Armin giggles. “We brought dinner! Just some Chinese food. Sasha doesn’t cook on weekends.”

Mikasa stands up to prepare the food as the boys move to sit in the living room, except for Eren who made a move to help her. “Hey,” he nudges her gently in the elbow.

“Hey. You finally talking to me?” Mikasa tries to appear intimidating but couldn’t help the small smile sneaking on her face.

Eren takes out the rice and stir-fried noodles from one of the paper bags, while Mikasa gets some plates and chopsticks for everyone. “I’m sorry, I was really busy in the clinic yesterday,” he says to her.

“It’s okay, doc, you don’t need to explain anything to me.”

Eren pauses at this. At the last second, he rethinks whether this is a good idea, but then decides to just fuck it all. “But you do. You owe me an explanation.”

Mikasa freezes before facing Eren with an unreadable expression etched on her face. _Is she mad at me? Am I being insolent and unreasonable?_ Eren thinks.

Sensing the tension building up, Armin clears his throat from the living room, addressing the others. “Hey guys, let’s go to the balcony, I heard there will be shooting stars tonight!”

“Ugh, I don’t want to go out, Ar. It’s freezing there,” Sasha groans, further sinking herself in the couch with her head leaning on Jean’s arm.

Armin catches the two boys’ eyes, his blue orbs wide as saucers, pleading them to help with Sasha and tilting his head at the two frozen figures in the dining table. _They are finally talking_ , he tries to communicate silently.

Connie runs to Sasha’s room and grabs her coat, then scoops her up from the couch to bring her upright (despite Sasha’s protests) and helps her with her jacket.

“The stars better be worth it, Ar!” Sasha mutters as the four of them climb out to the balcony, leaving Eren and Mikasa alone inside the apartment. An uncomfortable silence settles between them, as they engage in a staring contest no one will win—until she backs down and looks away, leaning in the kitchen counter with a sigh. She knew this was coming.

“I’m sorry. I know I left abruptly. You know I couldn’t live alone in that house after the tragedy, and Aunt Kiyomi offered that I live with her. I took it because I wanted to forget. Staying in Connecticut would have just brought bad memories to me.”

 _We could have made new, happy memories,_ Eren thought bitterly, pushing away thoughts of the robbery gone wrong in Mikasa’s house that killed her parents. She noticed Eren’s clenched fists, and she reached out to his left hand, holding it gingerly and straightening his palm in an attempt to calm him down.

“But you never talked to us anymore when you arrived there. I thought we were your friends, but you forgot about us,” Eren mutters with contempt, looking away from her. He doesn’t dare meet her gray eyes at this moment, afraid that tears will come uninvited as he remembers the pain of missing her.

Mikasa continues to fiddle with his hand, looking at it as if his palm lines were the most interesting thing in the world. “I’m sorry. The first few months were so busy settling in, the time difference made it worse. I couldn’t maintain the friendship that I promised, so I thought it would be better that you guys just forget about me because we won’t see each other again anyway.” Mikasa finally lifts her glassy eyes to look at Eren’s green ones. “I didn’t want you to experience the pain of missing me. I know because it hurt so bad missing you. I didn’t want to hurt you guys. Especially you, Eren.”

He couldn’t help pulling her into his arms at her heartfelt words. “I’m sorry, too. I should have reached out to you more, pestered you and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking to you. I know you were going through a rough time and I should have been more available.”

Mikasa shakes her head in Eren’s chest. She tries to hide her tears despite her audible sniffles and her tightened grip on his waist. “N-no. I know you were busy studying and preparing for med school, I w-would just have put too much pressure on you.”

Eren breathes deeply, hoping for the release of his heavy feelings as he is exhaled. “Here’s an idea. Let’s forget about regrets and all that crap. At least you’re here now, and I know I was kind of a jerk at first, but I’m so happy that you could be with us again.” He relaxes his hold on Mikasa and lifts her face to see it tear-stricken. He gently wipes them with his thumb, and planting a kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry for making you cry, but please don’t leave us again like that.”

Mikasa nods fervently, trying to ignore the pounding on her chest as she thinks, _Eren’s still so touchy even as an adult_. “I won’t.”

They stay pressed onto each other for a few minutes, not realizing that four pairs of eyes are waiting for them to finish until Jean clears his throat.

“You done? We’re starving and Sasha already noticed that there will be no shooting stars tonight.”

Mikasa and Eren looks at them blankly before breaking the hug. Armin approaches Mikasa and squeezed her arm, and they all take a seat around the table.

Sasha notices her best friend’s puffy eyes and squints at Eren. “You ignore her and _then_ make her cry? What kind of friend are you?” She then stares at the unopened paper bags and takes out the crab soup and sweet and sour chicken. “And you forget to finish taking out the food!”

The friends enjoyed their dinner and talked the rest of the night over beer and soggy crackers. Armin was right—the heavy feeling weighing on Eren’s chest is now gone. He felt light for the first time in months, and as always ever since they were kids, Mikasa helped.

She, on the other hand, felt otherwise, a feeling of warmth creeping slowly as she looks at Eren talking animatedly about their furniture fiasco earlier today. And along with the warmth comes the intense pain and longing for someone she thinks she could not have. _Am I catching feelings again for my best friend?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope this wasn't too long. Thank you again for the kudos and reviews!!! AAAA I'll do my best to keep this up but I pray for patience since I will soon be very busy. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter! :)


	4. The One with the Terrifying Uncle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang meets (?) Mikasa's uncle. Connie is smitten with a girl from work, but it's not what he expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature for some swearing.
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters are all owned by Hajime Isayama. Storylines are similar to the "Friends" show; I hope Kauffman and Crane don't mind.

_He is so gonna kill me_ , Mikasa internally curses while swiftly putting on a plain white polo shirt and faded skinny jeans. Her jet lag has been erratic the past week, and last night has been the worst so far, leaving her up until four in the morning waiting for sleep to come.

She grabs her small handbag and dashes outside, trying to find her slightly worn out black sneakers in the shoe rack near the door. She made a mental note to arrange them properly later. “Aha, there it is,” Mikasa pulls the pair out, wearing them hastily but losing her balance in the process. Jean, who enters the apartment in his green bathrobe at the exact moment, catches her in his arms.

“Careful there,” Jean winks. Mikasa straightens herself up and awkwardly smiles at Jean.

“Sorry Jean, I’m late for work. Did I hurt you?” Jean shakes his head. Mikasa rushes to the fridge to pour some orange juice, and before she could stop herself, she begins ranting out loud uncharacteristically. “When will this jet lag ever end? I’m not in my element right now, I hate it. I hate being late, I hate being stressed while being late, I hate rushing—"

“Let me stop you right there, Mikasa, my head is aching with all your words. It’s too early for me,” Connie looks up at her from the table and covers his ears.

Mikasa raises her eyebrows. “What are you even doing here this early?”

“We ran out of milk,” Connie slurps his cereal as if hijacking your neighbors’ food is the most normal thing in the world. Mikasa figured that she needs to get used to waking up with boys in the apartment.

Jean grabs two slices of bread and slathers it generously with strawberry jam. “Wait, you said you’re late for work. Where did you get a job?”

“Oh, right. I’ll be working downstairs as a waitress. See you later!”

Before Connie and Jean could register her response, Mikasa was out of the door.

“By the way, Jean,” the baldheaded boy stands up and leans in the sink with a smug look on his face, lightly rubbing his nose with his thumb. “I might bring someone home later, so don’t swoop in and steal my date, okay?”

Jean pauses from scrolling in his phone and looks up at Connie. “Got it. Who’s the unlucky girl?”

A drunken smile is plastered in Connie’s face as he looks up at the ceiling dreamily. “She’s this amazing and eloquent person who’s posted temporarily in the office. We’ve been having lunch together last week, and I finally managed to ask her out tonight. We’re going to watch a movie and maybe, you know, get something going after,” he then starts to do his ridiculous dance moves in front of Jean.

The other boy cringes. “Please don’t do that in front of anyone.”

* * *

Eren enters the coffee shop and hangs his coat in the rack. He already built his routine of buying coffee late in the morning to avoid the morning rush, and as expected, there were very few customers that hour. It has been days since the weather felt slightly warmer than usual. November weather can be harsh sometimes.

He noticed that Levi was nowhere in sight, but Isabel, one of the part-time employees of the coffee shop and a college student, is wiping the windows and waves at him. “Hey, hobo! Haven’t seen you for days!”

Eren instinctively touches his hair and playfully shakes his head. “Call me a hobo one more time, Iz, and no more free consultations for you.” He’s aware that his hair has become so long that he needed to tie it into a bun, but he never neglects to shave because he can’t seem to properly grow a beard. “Give up. It’s gross and nowhere near Zeke’s glorious fuzz,” Sasha confronted him before.

He scans the room before setting down his medical bag in the couch. “Where’s Farlan?”

The redhead sticks out her tongue and moves to wiping the tables thoroughly. “It’s his off today.” She looks over to the counter, and lowers her voice as if scared to be heard. “We got a new employee.”

“Really? Levi decided to give you two days off now? Thought he wasn’t a nice employer,” Isabel sniggers at Eren’s quip.

Cups were set down loudly in the counter, catching Eren and Isabel’s attention. Lo and behold, Levi is there shooting daggers at the brunette while arranging cups in the cabinet beside the espresso machine. He must have crept up on them quietly, owing to his catlike movements. The duo exchanged fearful looks, and they had an internal bet that Levi also sensed he was being talked about.

If looks could kill, the short man could already be called a serial killer simply with the amount of annoying customers he encounters every day. Thankfully, his employees keep him in check, the exact opposite of how normal bosses should be.

“Morning, Levi,” Eren nervously laughs as he approaches him.

“Brat,” he nods at Eren, the frown on his face now becoming neutral. “You haven’t visited. I thought you died, I was getting ready for a funeral.”

Eren smiles sheepishly, pretending to look at the pastries displayed. “Just got a little busy.”

“I figured, it’s the start of flu season. Café Americano to go? On the house.”

Eren nods happily. _Guess I won’t get smacked today_ _._ “A pretzel too, please.” He’s pushing his luck with Levi today.

With the precise maneuvers of an experienced barista, Levi prepared the coffee and pretzel in no time. Eren was ready to leave when a familiar face emerged from the storage room carrying a cake and wearing a brown apron similar to Levi’s and Isabel’s. Eren gaped.

“Mikasa?”

The girl looks up at Eren, and a wide smile stretches on her lips, which somehow concealed the dark circles under her eyes. “Hi, Eren! You look good. Are you getting coffee?” The brunette turns pink, disarmed by Mikasa’s smile and her unexpected-but-not-uncalled-for comment.

“Y-yeah. What are you doing here?” Eren stutters. Before Mikasa could respond, Isabel cuts in.

“You know her? She’s the new employee! Pretty, eh?” she nudges Eren with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Lots of boys will be coming over now, and Levi will be chasing their asses away with his broom.” She lets out a boisterous laugh at Eren’s confused look, much to the chagrin of Levi who was watching the events unfold with narrowed eyes.

“Iz, teach Mikasa how to clean the espresso machine. And you,” Levi crosses his arms over his chest and barks at Eren, whose eyes are still glued at Mikasa. “Stop staring at my niece, or you bet I’ll whoop your ass with my broom.”

“Levi. Stop it,” Mikasa glares at the man who is several centimeters shorter than her.

“Uh-oh, you just started the Ackerman staring showdown again. They’ve been at it since this morning,” Isabel whispers at Eren, but loud enough to be heard by Levi and Mikasa. They both frown at her.

Eren, on the other hand, is slow to process to everything, like he always does. _Niece? Ackerman staring showdown?_ More seconds pass as he connects the dots, his mouth slightly ajar while his eyes cross from Mikasa to Levi, then to Mikasa again. Then to Levi again (who is now rolling his eyes with impatience). _Raven black hair... piercing dark grey eyes... pale skin..._

 _Fuck, even their perpetual resting bitch face are the same_! Now that was the most convincing part for Eren. _Why did I not notice that ever?_ More so... “H-how?” is all he managed to croak out.

“It’s a long story,” Mikasa replies with a bored expression on her face.

“Okay, enough with this. Get back to work, Mikasa, Isabel. And you, brat—“ Levi forcefully jabs a finger at Eren’s chest, who shrinks instinctively as he felt a hole was being drilled inside, “—no funny business with my niece.”

For the second time that morning, Eren nods vehemently, and before Levi could say anything more, he grabs his bag and rushes out the door.

* * *

“What a small world! Levi is an Ackerman? And he’s your uncle? How?” Armin asks Mikasa as he pulls a chair in Sasha’s table, unwrapping his burger and fries.

Mikasa takes out a packed salad from the fridge and joins Armin in the table. “He’s my dad’s youngest brother. I only met him when he stayed with us in Tokyo for a few months. Aunt Kiyomi was willing to let him stay,” Mikasa pours some dressing on to the salad and mixes them with ease. “He invited me to visit Manhattan and help him in his coffee shop. That’s why I’m here.”

Sasha hums from the couch while eating her burger. “Ah, so we have the great grumpy gramps Levi to thank for your return!”

Jean, who was sitting beside Sasha, grunts. “I still can’t believe it. I heard he was a Marine before he became a barista, and they're like the toughest of the toughest in the army. I mean, you two look similar, but wow. And you both kinda look scary.” This earns him a glower from Mikasa.

“Imagine my shock this morning when I realized it. I almost shat myself when he said he’ll whoop my ass with his broom!” Eren snorts from the armchair, devouring his ham and egg sandwich.

Sasha gives him a sidelong glance and eyes him suspiciously. “So, why was he threatening you with his broom?” Eren winces, internally cursing himself for bringing that up, so he tries to avoid Sasha’s inquiring stares.

“Yeah, Eren, you are always on your best behavior around Levi. I mean, I think you practically adore him,” Jean chimes in, his eyes glimmering with malice.

“You do?” Mikasa asks, surprised at this tidbit.

Before Eren could explain himself, the door swings open, and Connie enters the apartment with a girl in tow. She was slightly taller that Connie, looking like a nymph with her white maxi dress with a dark blue shawl wrapped around her arms and with her long, brown hair with soft curls in the end. “Hey, everyone! This is Marie. Marie, this is everyone.”

“Hi, Marie!” everyone waves at the girl from their seats. She waves at them, flashing a seductive smile that made the boys swoon.

“I just wanted you guys to meet her. Bye!” The two figures closed the door and retreated to the room across the hall.

“Wow.” Armin is still staring at the space where Marie once stood with Connie.

“She has this really cool bohemian vibe in her,” Mikasa comments.

“That was a catch. Connie’s gonna have a good time,” Jean nods in approval.

* * *

The next day, Connie enters the coffee shop, not forgetting to dust his shoes this time. He saw Gunther and Eld, the other employees in the coffee shop, manning the counter, while Mikasa was serving coffee to the table by the window. His other friends were all seated in the couch and waved at him.

“Here’s our lover boy!” Eren pats him on the shoulder.

Sasha pulls him in the couch and wiggled her eyebrows. “So, how was last night with Marie?”

Connie huffs, waving his arms. “Oh, it was great. Great sex, awesome woman.”

Armin’s brows were furrowed, trying to find meaning in Connie’s bored tone. “But you don’t look happy.”

“I am happy, just a bit confused,” Connie bowed his head, staring at his lap. The others waited in bated breath for his next statement. Even Mikasa was now leaning in to hear his words. “She’s married.”

They all gasp.

“I knew it! No one looked that perfect and sexy.” The others glare at Jean.

“Aw, Connie, it’s okay. There are lots of single girls out there,” Sasha rubs his arm.

Connie looks up at them. “Oh, no, no. I’m meeting her again tonight.”

Mikasa now sets the tray in the coffee table and sits on the couch’s arm beside Connie. “Are you nuts?”

Armin leans back on his chair, shaking his head. “What in the world are you talking about, Connie? Don’t you understand what married means?”

“Yeah, but her husband Nile is okay with that. I just need to set an appointment with her ahead of time, ‘cause apparently—“ Connie slightly chokes, “—she’s also going out with Ian and Hans.”

Jean holds up his hand at Connie. “Okay, please tell me those are her brothers.” The bald boy just shrugs.

Eren sinks himself in the armchair and stares at Connie. “I don’t know, man, that’s a risky business. It’s like you’re going all in, while she’s spreading herself thin.”

“But she said she enjoys her time with me, and she’s so amazing in bed, and we can talk about a lot of things, which I tell you is such a turn on, because how many girls can hold up a conversation with me? Two?” Connie says with a hint of pleading in his voice, trying to convince himself that he’s right, that this is okay. “I think I like her a lot.”

Sasha gently holds Connie’s right hand. “That’s the problem, honey. Do you really want to involve yourself with that? Do you want to love someone who can’t love you with her whole heart? Do you want to share her with others?”

* * *

Knock, knock, knock.

Mikasa and Sasha open their respective bedroom doors, their hair unkempt and their faces in a scowl from being woken up by the knocks on their apartment.

The brown-haired girl curses out loud. “Who the fuck is knocking in the middle of the night?”

Mikasa growls under her breath, pulls up the sleeve of her shirt, and clenches her fists, as the two girls opened the door.

Connie is standing outside with the most despondent look on his face. Mikasa exhaled, trying to loosen her fists and walking slowly back to her room.

The brown-haired girl is also trying to control her temper. “Connie, you have a key.”

“I just ended everything between me and Marie.”

 _Oh._ The two girls approach the boy and they all sit on the couch.

"Did you just have sex with her and _then_ ended things with her?" Mikasa asks.

Sasha frowns at her roommate, then turns to Connie. “What happened?”

“I told her that I don’t like sharing her with other guys, and she said that—” Connie breathes deeply, “—she said that if I can’t accept our setup right now, then maybe we really shouldn’t continue this.”

The girls look at each other with concerned faces.

“Are you okay? And where the hell is Jean?” Sasha asks.

“He’s with someone in his room,” Connie fiddles with the end of his shirt. “I don’t know. I guess I’m okay. This whole dating business is a sham, but I thought I had a shot with her.”

Mikasa clears her throat. “To be fair, you did have a shot. You just share it with other people.”

Connie rolls his eyes at Mikasa’s words, but musters up the strength to give the raven a small smile. He leaned his head in Sasha’s neck, and on his other side, Mikasa rubs his arm soothingly.

For the first time that night, he doesn’t feel so alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this chapter was a bit of a challenge for me because I was struggling with how Marie should look, and I'm having writer's block this early haha. But we just keep moving forward, as Eren would like to say :D
> 
> IDK yet when the next update will be since I still have a lot on my plate D: Thank you once again for the kudos and comments! I seriously appreciate them. They keep me going, so I would like to know your thoughts! You can also reach me in my Tumblr if you guys want to connnect!!! (polaris-thehunter.tumblr.com)


	5. The One with Eren and Mikasa's Duet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang celebrates Sasha's promotion in a music bar. Eren and Mikasa are forced on stage, literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature for some swearing.
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters are all owned by Hajime Isayama. Storylines are similar to the "Friends" show; I hope Kauffman and Crane don't mind.

The chilly evening hinted the nearing end of autumn. A gentle blow of the biting wind had the gang clutching on to their coats tight as Sasha dragged them to a shabby-looking building that was tucked away from the busy streets of Manhattan. They must be far from the main road because they could only hear the faint honks of cars and buses.

“Come on!” Sasha taps her foot impatiently.

They stepped inside a steel door in the building, and were amazed to find a warmly lit bar abuzz with people, even for a work night. Different kinds of liquors were displayed in the bar, and waiters and waitresses were running back and forth taking and serving orders. There were chatters all around the tables where people sat drinking their choice of poison.

Sasha led the group like a shepherd, and after a few minutes of searching, they finally found a bigger round table near the stage which fit the six of them. Mikasa sat between Sasha and Armin, with Eren, Connie and Jean sitting on the blonde’s other side.

Armin was looking around the area, clearly impressed. This hole in the wall smelled great from the food being cooked and served, and the noise was comfortable enough for people to easily converse without shouting at each other. It felt laid-back but surprisingly classy — plus points to the framed posters of iconic rock bands that hung in the beige walls.

“This is a nice place, Sash. I love the lighting.” It’s a known fact in their group that Armin hates going to places which are too dark for him to see who he’s bumping into.

“And that guy could very well be winning The Voice,” Jean tilts his head towards the stage where a young man with a blonde undercut hair is playing the keyboard, singing a stripped version of Sam Smith and Normani’s Dancing with a Stranger. The stage was littered with wires and surrounded by a drum set, two electric guitars and amplifiers for the live band playing every night, and this guy must undoubtedly be the vocalist.

“Believe it or not, this place looks kind of fancy, Sash. I really can’t spend so much tonight,” Mikasa says, Jean nodding with her in agreement.

Sasha waved a hand to them as she scrutinized the menu. “Don’t worry, it’s my treat tonight—” Connie whistled at this, ”—because I got promoted as head chef today!”

Everyone around their table gave Sasha a series of wow’s and congratulations. Jean clapped her back and Mikasa hugged her.

“I’m surprised you didn’t blurt that out the whole day, you must have been itching to tell us!” Eren says.

“Yeah, but I also just wanted to hang out with you guys here instead of the coffee shop where Levi is hovering over Mikasa’s mad waitressing skills,” Sasha replies, earning a chortle from the half-Asian girl. “Now order up! They said the food’s great, aside from the cool band playing here.”

They first ordered their drinks, the boys selecting their preferred ales, Sasha ordering red wine and Mikasa getting a classic margarita on the rocks. The newly-promoted head chef then proceeded to recite to the waiter the food she chose for everyone.

“Oh, and please make sure to remove anything that remotely has peanuts or crustaceans because these two here—“ she eyes Connie and Jean, “—might just wheeze to death. Thanks!”

The waiter then served their drinks, to which Armin raised his beer and everyone clinked their glasses together. “To the new head chef!”

“To freedom, something they can never take away!” Jean singsongs.

“We’re not in a Hamilton audition, Jean,” Armin smiles.

Mikasa jerks her head to Jean’s direction. “Oh, oh, I want to watch that one!” Pleased with the new girl’s sudden interest in Hamilton, Jean squeezes Sasha in the middle to lean into Mikasa, and begins to passionately talk about the practice he’s been doing for his Broadway audition.

“This is good, I now have a reason to call in sick tomorrow,” Connie says happily as he puts down his beer.

“Me too,” Eren grins, wiping the excess beer in his mouth. He glances at Mikasa as she listens intently to Jean and Sasha, her cheeks now tinted pink from her cocktail. She has always been a lightweight when it came to alcoholic drinks, so he mentally noted to control his alcohol tonight and look out for her.

“You know, they said it’s bad to stare at someone too much, it kind of sends the wrong message,” murmured Armin, making Eren realize he’s been staring unabashedly for too long. He sits straight and looks at the stage instead. Connie snickers beside him.

When their food arrived, Sasha raved so much about it and babbled endlessly about the flavor and juiciness and what-not, the group nodding in agreement every now and then as they drank and ate. Half the time, they had no idea what she was talking about at all, and no one was listening to her anymore aside from Mikasa. The raven turned to Jean and Connie, who were whispering in hushed tones and looking over the two ladies across their table. _I wonder if they’ll manage to bring someone home tonight_ , she smirks to herself.

On her left side, Armin was bobbing his head to the band’s rendition of I Want To Hold Your Hand, while Eren was clapping to the chorus. _Of course. They both loved The Beatles when we were in high school, it was pretty much the soundtrack of my weekends with them. God, that felt like a lifetime ago_ , Mikasa fondly muses. The more she spent time with her friends — old and new — the more she became convinced that moving back and starting a new life was the best choice she has made so far.

The audience’s applause, including Eren and Armin’s exuberant clapping roused Mikasa from her thoughts. The vocalist then cleared his throat and spoke in the microphone. “Hi everyone, I’m Porco and we’re The Warriors. Please give some love to my brother Marcel with the lead guitars, Colt in the drums, and our bassist Udo.” The audience was alive tonight with their hoots and claps for every name Porco mentioned.

“Thank you for dropping by tonight. I hope you are all enjoying your drinks and food—” and all of a sudden, he turns to the direction of the gang’s table, “—and special thanks to the pretty lady right there who’s been raving about the food since she started eating. I could hear it all the way here, and our chef Niccolo appreciates it so much.” The audience then turned to face their table, Jean waving at everyone to deal with his embarrassment while Armin tried to bury his face in his hands.

“The food’s awesome!” Sasha yells with her two thumbs up and grinning widely. “If Niccolo’s single and in his late-20s to 30s, I’d like to get his recipe over coffee!” _This must be the alcohol talking_ , her friends all think.

Porco and the audience laughed, and Colt gave a short upbeat with his drums. “Oh, good, I just got Niccolo a date in front of everyone. Because of that, one of you guys from your table can sing with us onstage if you like.”

They all looked at each other with wide eyes as they understood what the vocalist said. They have been drinking leisurely in the past hour, so no one was actually too drunk to take the offer. Connie and Jean then looked anywhere but their friends, and Eren bowed his head and started scrolling mindlessly on his phone. Armin was about to decline the offer when Sasha yelled for the second time that night, her voice resounding loud and clear.

“Mikasa and Eren can sing a duet, you know that one from High School Musical!”

Mikasa choked on her drink, while Eren jerked his head up, his emerald eyes filled with terror as if he’s about to face a giant monster. Sasha was smirking in triumph, and the crowd cheered.

“Sasha, you little—“

“Aw, come on! You had that duet when we were in high school, right? Peak of High School Musical popularity. Remember how happy Principal Pixis was with our play?” Sasha nudged Mikasa, and Armin was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard.

Porco chuckled onstage, playing some light notes on the keyboard. “Wow, we don’t get a lot of requests for High School Musical, but us millennials grew up with it. I do hope you all are millennials here. Is it Breaking Free?”

“No, no, it’s Start of Something New!” Armin is unmistakably now all aboard the idea, and apparently everyone else too, judging by the nonstop cheers and whistles.

Mikasa and Eren stared at each other, both blushing profusely and gauging whether the other is willing to bite into the challenge. Eren definitely was not—it’s been a decade since he sang in front of a lot of people, he can’t remember the lyrics, and most importantly, he doesn’t know if he can calm his heart while singing _that_ song again with Mikasa.

“I don’t care about Eren, but we’d love to hear Mikasa sing,” Jean adds fuel to the fire, urging Mikasa to go on stage.

Connie nods enthusiastically and pats Eren in the back. “Come on, man, let’s have a good time!”

Eren rolls his eyes and was about to argue some more, but Mikasa spoke faintly, taking everyone by surprise. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She then glanced at Eren and stood up, her dark grey eyes fixed at him which probably screams, _You know, maybe don’t leave me alone while our friends feed us to the sharks?!_

Eren felt his legs were like jelly, so he didn’t know where he drew the strength to stand up. “Screw it.” Mikasa beamed and clinked her glass with Eren’s beer mug, draining their glasses in the hope of gaining some confidence. For some reason, they felt the crowd’s cheers growing wilder.

“I fucking hate you, Sasha Blouse,” Eren spoke on the microphone when they were finally on the stage, and everyone laughed and hooted, obviously enjoying the banter happening at the expense of the pair in front. Their friends were all grinning ear to ear, and Sasha and Armin were holding up their phones, immortalizing their suffering with photos and video recordings.

Eren stood awkwardly at the stage, scanning the faces of the audience staring up at the both of them. He tries to compose himself, clearing his throat and fanning his warm face with his hands. He pops open the top button of his shirt to let some cool air brush on his neck, and he rubs his clammy palms on the side of his jeans. It has been such a long time since he felt _this_ nervous.

He then peeks at his best friend who was standing several inches away from him, shifting her weight and her arms across her chest. Eren notices her profile, her soft features accentuated by the warm stage light, her bare neck and collar bones exposed in the white off-shoulder top she was wearing. Mikasa catches him staring, and Eren quickly looks away before he combusts.

Porco played the familiar melody of the song, and an onslaught of memories filled Eren’s mind—memories of busy hallways as they walked to their lockers, of Mikasa’s elaborate bento box, of her flowing red dress when they went together for junior prom. He felt like a high school student all over again, when they were both chosen as leads to the school play and had to practice lots of songs. But this one was his most favorite of all.

> _Living in my own world, didn't understand_
> 
> _That anything can happen when you take a chance_

True, Mikasa might have felt confident at first with the idea of singing in front of a lot of people, owing to the margarita she just downed earlier. But now, her heart was beating painfully against her ribcage with the swell of emotions she was feeling. Eren’s rich, baritone voice brought her back to those warm afternoons practicing this song. She braves a look at him, and she finds herself catching her breath as his bright green eyes once again meets hers. _Those eyes I once loved so much_. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, and she struggles with the urge to touch him in front of strangers.

> _I never believed in what I couldn't see_
> 
> _I never opened my heart to all the possibilities_

When Eren was practicing this song with her, he thought the lyrics will eventually lose its meaning with the way they sang it over and over again. But as he internalized the words and sang it with her, _to_ her, he began to realize that he felt something different for his childhood friend-- a dormant feeling, finally waking up to the melody of this love song.

> _I know that something has changed_
> 
> _Never felt this way_

Mikasa always prided herself for keeping her emotions at bay, afraid that revealing an intimate thing such as her feelings can be used against her. But one night after practice, she found herself losing control when, without warning and utterly out of the blue, Eren asked, “Why do you concern yourself so much with me?” And now, she finds herself in that position once more as Eren abandons all pretense and blatantly stares at her, moving closer to her as he sings.

> _And right here tonight_
> 
> _This could be the start of something new_

Eren’s poor teenage heart could not understand, until it was too late, why he started to feel butterflies in his stomach whenever Mikasa ( _my dear childhood friend Mikasa)_ unconsciously touched him, and why he was filled with the unsatiated need to always be by her side. But she’s here now, it’s what matters to him the most, and maybe this is the universe giving him a second shot, so he feels a little brave, reaching out for her free hand and entwines his fingers with hers.

> _It feels so right to be here with you_

Mikasa froze in place, surprised once again with Eren’s acts that are too gentle, too unusual from the friendliness she is used to. But she grips his hand nonetheless, her will power to avoid these unnecessary feelings slowly dissipating.

> _And now looking in your eyes_
> 
> _I feel in my heart the start of something new_

Their bodies were now both slowly swaying to the beat of the song, along with the audience. With her hands still entangled with his, Eren lifted their hands above her head and twirled Mikasa, slightly loosening his grip on her as she turned.

> _Now who'd ever thought that we'd both be here tonight_

Mikasa is now getting used to Eren’s surprises, but the lyrics tumble out in a giggle as she remembers the teenage boy who was completely repulsed with dancing.

> _And the world looks so much brighter with you by my side_

Porco never believed in love. It always felt fake to him, which is probably the reason why he couldn’t write songs that pierce through the heart, no matter how much he tried. But as he now observes the two strangers who were forced by their friends to sing on stage, he admits to himself that, maybe, just maybe, this is what falling in love looks like.

> _I never knew that it could happen 'till it happened to me_

“I mean, who fucking knew the dense Eren Jaeger could fall in love!” Connie cackles, then clears his throat before Sasha could process his words. “Though I’m not saying he is right now.”

> _I didn't know it before but now it's easy to see_

“And who fucking knew that they’re still madly in love with each other, after all these years?” Armin mutters to himself.

> _It's a start of something new_
> 
> _It feels so right to be here with you_

In the depths of her heart, Mikasa prays that, somehow, she gets to convey to Eren that this is everything she wants: him holding her hand and smiling at her with his boyish grin. Right now, she feels complete, she feels at home. Yes, it feels so right.

> _And now looking in your eyes_
> 
> _I feel in my heart_
> 
> _the start of something new_

“Start of something new,” Eren breathes each word as he gazes into Mikasa’s eyes, and he finds himself unable to look away. They both continue to stare at each other even after the song has ended, both completely oblivious to the loud applause from the crowd, Sasha and Armin’s defeaning yells from their table, and Jean and Connie’s catcalls.

“Kiss her!” a man from the audience screeches. Mikasa turns to the crowd, realizing that Eren’s face is really close to her. His eyes seem to have a powerful, magnetic force as she looks at him again, scanning his face for any hint of hesitance and awkwardness.

But he surprises her once more by leaning down, tilting her chin towards him and gently kissing the corner of her lips.

Mikasa thinks she’s imagining it, but she swears by the gods that his lips lingered far longer and softer from the friendly pecks he’s given her. She blushes profusely as the crowd goes wild for the last time, before he waves to everyone and holds her hand tightly, leading her back to their table.

They never spoke a word to each other again, but Eren sat beside Mikasa, and his hands sometimes wandered to hers every now and then, squeezing it lightly while drinking his beer.

* * *

“Aw, man, I had a lot of fun!” Connie fist pumps the air as they waited for a taxi on the way home. “Thank you, Sasha, for the treat, and Mik and Eren for an incredible night.”

“You both were amazing, I’m actually kind of jealous that you might get fans just for singing that goddamn song,” Jean pretends to feel contemptuous, but they were simply all in good spirits, especially with how the evening went.

When Eren and Armin hailed a taxi to Eren’s apartment, he catches Mikasa’s eye and waves. “See you tomorrow.”

That night as she laid in her bed, feeling the slight buzz of the alcohol muddling her brain, she wonders if everything that has happened tonight is a dream. _It feels like one._

* * *

The next day, Sasha was in the coffee counter showing Levi the video she took of the duet. Mikasa paid no attention to them while she worked, but Eren was in the couch beside their other friends, cowering in fear.

There was a hint of amusement in the short man’s face as he watched the video, but his eyes widened and his expression turned sour as he saw Eren’s kiss.

He growled under his breath.

“Brat. Don’t show your face here in the next two years.”

“Levi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this chapter when I stumbled upon the HSM album (the movie was released 14 years ago! Can’t emphasize how old I feel over this fact), and when I listened to Start of Something New, I just felt so giddy thinking about Eren and Mikasa singing it, I. JUST. HAD. TO. WRITE. IT. I don’t think I could properly work in real life while this idea just floated rent-free on my mind, bothering me endlessly.
> 
> I probably listened to the song hundreds of times just to capture the rollercoaster of emotions they were both feeling, but the music video with the new HSM cast feels more in line my vision for Eren and MIkasa's expressions where they can't keep their eyes off each other ( https://youtu.be/-Sgeg53Q0A0 )
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it because I had fun writing it, and this one is my favorite so far in this bunch. I hope the cheesy-ness was just right for your tastes.
> 
> Lastly, I thrive on your feedback, so I hope you leave one! Thank you so much to those reading this fic!


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